Why we're reporting on bikes and rules of the road

Monday

May 6, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 6, 2013 at 6:17 AM

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. Also coming up May 11-19 is Bay State Bike Week – a celebration of pedal power presented by the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, or MassBike, in partnership with the state Department of Transportation.

Staff reports

Why bikes?

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. Also coming up May 11-19 is Bay State Bike Week – a celebration of pedal power presented by the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, or MassBike, in partnership with the state Department of Transportation.

With all that focus on bikes, Wicked Local, GateHouse Media newspapers and WGBH News are working together to examine the role of bicycles on our streets in eastern Massachusetts, along with drivers and pedestrians. We’re also telling your stories about sharing the road, what’s working well and what our state and communities can do better.

Rules for bikes

State law says bicycles “shall have the right to use all public ways in the commonwealth,” except for highways where signs are posted specifically prohibiting bikes. They also “shall be subject to the traffic laws and regulations of the commonwealth.”

That means bikes have as much right to be in most travel lanes as cars and trucks, and that most of the same traffic rules apply to cyclists, including obeying traffic signals and signs.

There are a few special rules – for example, cyclists may ride on sidewalks outside business districts if necessary, should signal stops or turns by hand if possible to do so safely and may pass cars on the right, the law says.

Cyclists also may ride two abreast, but must allow any traffic to pass. Front and rear lights and reflectors either on the pedals or worn on the rider’s ankles are required for travel within a half-hour after sunset and a half-hour before sunrise.

Helmets are required for anyone 16 or younger.

Rules for cars

Motorists must pass cyclists “at a safe distance and at a reasonable and proper speed,” state law says. If a driver can’t safely pass a bike in the same lane, he or she must use another lane or wait until a safe chance to pass.

Drivers also are required to check for bikes and pedestrians before opening a car or truck door. Violations may be punished by a fine of no more than $100.

When taking left turns, drivers must yield to oncoming traffic, including bikes on the right of other approaching vehicles, the law says.

Similarly, drivers are not supposed to turn right across the path of a cyclist “unless the turn can be made at a safe distance from the bicyclist at a speed that is reasonable and proper.”